Ireland

Stand and Stare, Acrylic on Canvas, 2024, 24"x60"

Artist Statement Ireland 2024:

“What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?” This is the poem that inspired not only my paintings but how I spent my days here in The Burren. In the rush of daily life, we often forget to stop and admire the beauty around us.

I found the first week to be full of constant excitement, with so many new places and people. But the first real moment I took for myself, I began to connect with the landscape. I felt this urge to take off my shoes, and I sat in the tall grass behind the studio. The sun shone and the wind made the grass dance around me. Then I went for my own adventure after returning from Galway. I sat alone on the dock and watched the sunlight sparkle across the water. In that moment I knew I was watching the line of the poem play out in front of my eyes in a mesmerizing pattern. My very own “ocean full of stars like skies at night.” A final moment happened when I stood beneath the boughs on my walk home from school, and I took the time to enjoy the sound of the leaves rustling as sun filtered down.

In my paintings above, I hoped to capture the sunlight through the leaves, on the water and in the grass. To capture the movement through my use of colors and brushstrokes. The emotion of standing in nature, this sense of overwhelming peace that I feel all around. This is also why I chose not to have a horizon, to keep the all-encompassing feeling I hoped to capture. I want the grass to feel as though it is coming off the page or the light to move across the water.  The Burren is alive and moving and all around me when I take the time to stand and stare. In my art, I invite you to do the same and feel the heartbeat and ever-changing beauty of this place.

Rocks of the Burren, 2024

Acrylic and Charcoal on Paper, 48"x 84"

Process photos: